Rising ship
by charmenna
Summary: The fact that Beth had been taken, was something that Daryl had never forgiven himself for. Even when she was back, he couldn't escape the feeling that he should have taken better care of her. Bethyl one-shot.


Hey! This is my first attempt at an Bethyl fic. I'm a huge shipper of the two, but what with Beth's death being so fresh (I'm still in denial) , I've been hesitant about posting this fic. Hope you all enjoy anyway! Reviews are always appreciated, this is meant as a one-shot, but I might be persuaded into posting more.. :)

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><p>When he lost her, it was like his world darkened. The one thing that mattered was that he was able to keep her safe, well, at least as safe as you could be in this world. Daryl had one thing going for him, and that was the fact that Beth was still breathing. But when she was snatched from him, the one person that was convinced that he was actually good, was gone. He had no way of knowing that he was going to find Rick, and that they would embark on a different course that made him stop looking for her. For this, he felt guilty. Now that she was actually back, he felt more guilt than ever before. He might have been the one to save her, but he was also the one who let her get away.<p>

Beth had been back in their group for a whole week now. When they had returned, the young woman had been hugged, kissed and whatnot. To his dismay, he had been as well. He had never seen Maggie cry so hard. It was understandable. Beth was the only family that she had left, except for her husband. Daryl had never been one for hugging, and he had always been hesitant when it came to showing emotions. Beth had managed to break that barrier, and now, he could hardly even look at her. It was like he was scared that it might all be a dream, and he would wake up at any time, realizing that she was still gone – possibly forever.

He had offered to take watch. The church that they were staying at seemed to be rather secluded from walkers, but they had learned the hard way that one should never let his guard down. He sat down on the porch, and gazed at the sundown. He sighed and leaned back on his hands. As usual, the place was quiet. He sat like that for a while, his mind flooding with thoughts. Suddenly, he heard the door creak as it opened. He heard timid footsteps, and realized that it must be Beth.

"Hey girl." he greeted, letting her know that he was aware that it was her.

"Hey." Beth replied, and propped down beside him. He looked to his left and saw her looking at him. She still had cuts on her face that had been stitched together. They all had cuts and bruises all the time, but on her, they seemed so out of place. He had always wondered how she managed to look like a doll of some kind, even if they hadn't had access to fresh water or anything in weeks. It was like the dirt and the grime wouldn't stick on her.

"What're you doing out here? It's cold." He knew that he was being unfair when he avoided her like this. He just didn't know what to say to her. Or, he did know a thousand things that he could say, but he did not know how to get them out. He had never been a man of many words, luckily, she knew that.

"I wanted to keep you company. I feel like we've barely gotten a chance to chat since I got back. " Beth smiled at him, and drew her legs closer to her body. She wrapped her arms around her legs, and managed to make herself look more tiny, if that was even possible.

" I guess that's true. Maggie's been over the moon since ya' got back." Daryl muttered, and sneaked a glance at her again.

"I know. I haven't seen her since the prison. I honestly didn't think that I would ever see her again. But now I can, thanks to you." Beth said, in a gentle voice. He didn't want her to thank him for anything. He was the reason that she had gone missing in the first place.

"Don't need to thank me for nothin'. I'm the reason you got taken in the first place, Beth." He muttered back. He crossed his arms over his chest, and looked down on the ground awkwardly. He could feel her eyes on him, which made it even worse.

"You had nothin' to do with that, nothin' at all. " Beth placed her hand on his shoulder, which made him tense up instantly. He remembered the time that he had lashed out on her, and she had just hugged him as he cried. He couldn't remember the last time that he had opened himself up to anyone like he had with her. He raised his own hand and gently patted hers, a bit awkwardly.

"I was supposed to look after you, and I couldn't even do that right. " Right after the words had left his mouth, he had to glance at her to see her response. She looked straight at him and then suddenly stood up and went to stand in front of him. She placed both of her hands on his shoulders and stared at him intensely.

"You listen to me now, Daryl Dixon. I don't want to hear you talk like that. I can take care of myself, and you had nothin' to do with me being taken. "

He had never heard her talk like that. He had heard her scream at him, but now, she sounded like an adult. She was more sure of herself when she spoke, which made him realize that she had been forced to take care of herself whilst she had been held captive at the hospital. He had a bad habit of underestimating her, as it would seem. He was a bit stunned, and didn't instantly reply. Instead, he just looked at her, probably gawking a bit. When he didn't answer, she continued to speak.

"You are the reason that I'm back. It's like I told you. You missed me while I was gone."

He couldn't help but to smile at her words. It was true. When they fled from the prison together, he had never expected to end up with Beth. At first, it had been a bit odd. They spoke irregularly at the prison, but the conversations had always been quite short. He had never expected to find such a companion in Beth, or that they would in fact have so much in common. The fact that he probably gawked at her a bit longer than he should have, made him sober up from the thoughts that were flooding his mind.

"You should go inside Beth. It's getting' late. "

"Don't do that. Don't go all introvert with me, Daryl. Why can't you ever say what's on your mind?" Beth sighed, she was beginning to sound a bit irritated. Daryl couldn't stop himself from blurting out the words that would then come out of his mouth.

"Because I'm scared that this is all a dream. That I'm going to wake up, and you're still gone. That I will still walk around, feelin' like the biggest asshole on the planet. You could've died, Beth. If you had died, I would never forgive myself."

He instantly regretted his words. Beth looked stunned. He tried to figure out how to fix what he had just said, like he always did. He had no time for that though, as Beth suddenly leaned forward and crashed her lips against his own. At first, he didn't respond as he was too shocked. But then, without thinking, he responded to her kiss. She tasted sweet, like he expected. He raised his hands to place them gently on her cheeks. She leaned down on her knees, without breaking their kiss. The kiss intensified as she brushed her tongue against his lips. He did as well, and then, they were full on making out.

It felt like they had gone on forever, when Beth broke the kiss. _Shit. She regrets it._ Daryl bowed his head down, and glanced at her from under his untidy bangs. Beth was way too young for him, in every sense. She was eighteen years old, and she certainly deserved better than him. He was just about to apologize, when she interrupted him.

"You have no idea how long I've been waitin' to do that."

He couldn't help but to let out a chuckle of relief. "Same here, girl. I just don't know if it's such a good idea. You and me." . It really wasn't. He felt like such a creep, mostly because he already missed having her lips against his own.

"Probably not. But, who cares."

As she kissed him again, he couldn't agree with her more. He did not have it in him to care anymore, all that mattered was in front of him now.


End file.
